2017 Onaga Boys Sub-State Champions (photo courtesy of Jocelyn Marten)

92.1 KMZA Broadcast - Doniphan West vs. Onaga (1A-DI Boys Sub-State Championship) - click to listen

For the 10th time in school history and the first time in 27 years the Onaga Buffaloes boys basketball team is going to the State tournament as they captured the 1A-Division I Sub-State title at Centralia on Saturday by beating Doniphan West for the fourth time in the season, this time winning 43-31.

Both teams started slow and points were at a premium in the contest. After the first quarter Doniphan West clung to a 6-5 lead but Onaga took the lead early in the second quarter and did not relinquish it the rest of the game pushing their lead out behind a 14-3 second quarter to lead 19-9 at intermission. The second quarter proved to be the difference as the Buffaloes held Doniphan West at bay the rest of the way capitalizing on free throws in the second half going 10-18 from the line and 16-25 from the stripe overall in the game.

In the loss Doniphan West was just 2-17 from three-point range and struggled scoring as Levi Watts led the team with nine points as the Mustangs closed their year out with a 14-10 record.

Onaga Buffaloes with the win improved to 16-6 on the season and punched their ticket to the State tournament for first time since 1990. Luke Marten led a balanced Onaga offensive attack as Luke scored 10 points with eight points in the 14-3 second quarter and his performance earned him Community National Bank “Player to Bank On” honors on KMZA. Four other Buffaloes tallied six to eight points in the win.

The season continues for Onaga at the 1A-DI State Tournament in Hays, Kansas at Gross Memorial Coliseum with their first round contest on Thursday, March 9th against the #1 seed South Gray (22-1) at 6:30pm. (Class 1A-DI Boys State Tournament bracket)